Technical
Assistance Initiative - Welfare to Work Vouchers

Update of Technical Assistance Activities

HUD has awarded The Nelrod Company with the technical assistance
contract to provide ongoing support to WtW sites.

As of October 2002, support similar to activities from earlier
contracts will be provided: telephone TA, national teleconferences,
maintenance of HUD's WtW web site, field office workshops, and onsite
TA to selected WtW sites. New activities under this contract include
national training sessions for FSS and WtW, development of manuals
for WtW and FSS, maintenance of HUD's FSS web site, and compilation
of FSS best practices.

See below for WtW resources gathered through HUD technical assistance
efforts in Years 1 and 2.

Strategic Plans

As part of Year 2 activities, agencies administering WtW vouchers
developed Strategic Plans as a means of improving the success of
their programs. Agencies first established specific, measurable
goals and then recorded these goals in an agency action document.
Research shows that taking these two simple steps can dramatically
increase the likelihood of a program's success! The planning process
also provided the following:

A way to engage partners in helping PHAs succeed

A means of tracking PHA program progress and success

A way to focus technical assistance on PHA priorities

Many of the agencies administering WtW vouchers created and submitted
Strategic Plans to their TA providers. All the plans were different
and reflected agencies' individual needs and priorities. To better
understand the strategic planning process, you may view sample Strategic
Plans for the following WtW Programs:

Onsite Technical Assistance

Read about the Technical
Assistance Site Visit (Adobe PDF, 4 pages) to the Housing Authority
City and County of Fresno, California which took place on December
19, 2003.

Roundtable Discussions

Between August 15 and September 18, 2002, a series of roundtable
discussions related to key WtW topics were held. During these discussions,
roundtable participants highlighted program successes and challenges,
which contributed to a collection of "tips for success"
and other guidance. You can view summaries of the following discussions:

National Teleconferences

As part of a technical assistance package offered to housing authorities,
HUD sponsors a series of teleconferences on key WtW topics. The
teleconference series serves as a forum for exchanging information,
sharing innovative ideas, and raising issues or concerns. See below
for materials and audio clips from previously-held teleconferences
and stay tuned for information about future teleconferences.

On March 25, 2004, participants gained valuable information
on best practices/lessons learned from other sites, networking
with other sites, HUD updates on WtW policy changes, and guidance
on the WtW program transition.

On June 26, 2003, the sixteenth WtW national teleconference
was held. Participants learned valuable information about the
benefits of collaborating with local community colleges to provide
additional resources for WtW participants.

On March 19, 2003, the fifteenth WtW national teleconference
was held. Highlights of the teleconference include: homeownership
as a self-sufficiency tool for Welfare to Work participants,
the basic requirement of homeownership programs, strategies
for implementation, and the advantages of homeownership as it
relates to the WtW program.

On December 17, 2002, the fourteenth WtW national teleconference
was held. The teleconference covered several topics: WtW regulations,
developing and continuing to build partnerships with the community/agencies,
recruiting new participants, WtW as it relates to Family Self-Sufficiency
(FSS), and the importance of reporting.

On August 22, 2002, HUD hosted its thirteenth WtW voucher program
national teleconference. This teleconference included a HUD
update and discussion of overcoming barriers to develop strong,
working relationships; key ingredients for building and maintaining
TANF/DOL partnerships; working within the constraints of TANF/DOL
partnerships; and best practices with tips for succeeding.

The following resources are available for Teleconference 13:

Learning From Each Other
Alaska which describes how the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation
has partnered with the State TANF agency to provide case management
and family outreach to WtW clients in this challenging geographic
area.

Learning From Each
Other Anaheim which describes how the Anaheim Housing Authority
(AHA) and the Orange County Social Service Agency (OCSSA) have
used strong communications and streamlined processes to create
a PHA/TANF partnership that really works.

On August 8, 2002, HUD hosted its twelfth WtW voucher program
national teleconference. This teleconference included a HUD
update and discussion of how to succeed with FSS, develop strong
support systems, integrate work requirements with case management,
and utilize community resources.

The following resources are available for Teleconference 12:

Learning From Each
Other Salem which describes how Salem, OR has partnered
with the local TANF-administering agency for seamless case management
of WtW clients.

The Promising Program Practices page on this site also includes
information on the Greater Richmond Employment Assistance Team (G.R.E.A.T.),
the third presenter of this teleconference. View the Supportive
Services section of that page for more information.

On April 4, 2002, HUD hosted its eleventh WtW voucher program
national teleconference. Speakers provided a HUD update and
discussed how to integrate WtW and FSS; sell the FSS program
to WtW families; and implement FSS best practices. For information
about the 2002 Funding Availability for Housing Choice Voucher
FSS Program Coordinators, view our NOFA
summary.

The following resources are available for Teleconference
11:

Learning from Each Other
Chicago which features information on how the Chicago Housing
Authority Corporation has used FSS to leverage WtW resources
and achieve common goals.

On February 26, 2002, HUD hosted its tenth WtW voucher program
national teleconference. Speakers discussed how to help families
receive job services, how to build TANF agency and workforce development
board partnerships, and strategies for building and maintaining
strong partnerships. Over 150 HUD field office staff and PHA WtW
staff participated in the call.

Learning From Each
Other Mid-Columbia which features information on Mid-Columbia's
partnership model for case-management and other strategies for
supporting WtW families in their efforts to obtain/retain employment.

Teleconference
9: Focus on Employment
On January 24, 2002 HUD hosted its ninth WtW voucher program national
teleconference. The teleconference featured several presentations
on employment-related topics. Over 200 HUD field offices and WtW
PHA staff participated in the call.

The following resources are available for Teleconference
9:

Summary of Teleconference 9 which
includes a brief summary of the HUD Update and Work
Strategies for WtW Participants presentations, as well profiles
of out presenters.

On December 6, 2001, HUD hosted its eighth WtW voucher program
national teleconference. This teleconference included an update
on recent HUD policy, reviewed key legislative developments and
guidance, provided information on the funding renewal process,
reviewed the November 1, 2001 Notice on Reallocation Procedures,
and provided information on monitoring WtW leasing and utilization.
You can can download the following materials for this teleconference:

Form
HUD-52673, Estimate of Total Required Annual contributing
Form HUD-52681, Year-End Settlement Statement

Materials from year 1 teleconferences

The first two teleconferences in Year 1 focused on strategies for
achieving 100% lease-up. Five PHA panelists shared stories that
illustrated how to organize internally and manage the leasing of
WtW vouchers. This site contains highlights of each panel presentation:

Series tapes

The remainder of the teleconference series is available as audio
files. To listen to these teleconferences from your computer, simply
download
RealPlayer 8 Basic, then open the audio files below. Note: This
software can be downloaded for free--please allow 3-5 minutes for
download, and allow several seconds for connecting to each audio
file: